Verne Clemons
Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1916-1924)
Verne Clemons was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1916 to 1924 for the St. Louis Browns and the St. Louis Cardinals, a span of 9 seasons. In 474 career games, he hit .286 with 364 hits, 5 home runs, and 140 RBI. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 137.
- AVG (Batting Average):
- Hits divided by at bats. .300 is the traditional mark of an excellent hitter.
- HR (Home Runs):
- Hits on which the batter circled the bases and scored, almost always by clearing the outfield fence.
- RBI (Runs Batted In):
- Runs that scored as a direct result of a batter's plate appearance.
- OPS (On-Base Plus Slugging):
- On-base percentage plus slugging percentage, the quickest single summary of offensive value. .900 or better is star-level.
Data updated
- Position
- Catcher
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'9" / 190 lb
- Died
- 5/5/1959 in Bay Pines, FL, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1916-04-22
- Last Game
- 1924-09-28
Full name: Verne James Clemons
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 474 | 1,271 | 78 | 364 | 56 | 11 | 5 | 140 | 6 | 119 | 62 | .286 | .348 | .360 | .708 | 137 |
Career AVG .286 vs. league average .276 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OBP .348 vs. league average .337 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .360 vs. league average .375 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OPS .708 vs. league average .712 across their career seasons — near league average.
Season-by-Season Batting
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | Lg AVG | Lg OBP | Lg SLG | Lg OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1916 | SLA | AL | 4 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .143 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1919 | SLN | NL | 88 | 239 | 14 | 63 | 13 | 2 | 2 | 22 | 4 | 26 | 13 | .264 | .262 (+1%) | .322 (+4%) | .347 (+3%) | .670 (+4%) | 183.2 |
| 1920 | SLN | NL | 112 | 338 | 17 | 95 | 10 | 6 | 1 | 36 | 1 | 30 | 12 | .281 | .271 (+3%) | .331 (+2%) | .363 (-2%) | .694 (avg) | 14.4 |
| 1921 | SLN | NL | 117 | 341 | 29 | 109 | 16 | 2 | 2 | 48 | 0 | 33 | 17 | .320 | .286 (+12%) | .344 (+10%) | .395 (avg) | .739 (+5%) | 421.5 |
| 1922 | SLN | NL | 71 | 160 | 9 | 41 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 1 | 18 | 5 | .256 | .285 (-10%) | .345 (-4%) | .397 (-29%) | .743 (-18%) | -406.4 |
| 1923 | SLN | NL | 57 | 130 | 6 | 37 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 10 | 11 | .285 | .282 (+1%) | .344 (avg) | .390 (-5%) | .734 (-3%) | -53.3 |
| 1924 | SLN | NL | 25 | 56 | 3 | 18 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 3 | .321 | .283 (+13%) | .345 (avg) | .389 (-4%) | .734 (-2%) | -22.4 |
| Career · 7 seasons | 474 | 1,271 | 78 | 364 | 56 | 11 | 5 | 140 | 6 | 119 | 62 | .286 | — | — | — | — | 137 | ||
Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (473 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 247 | 663 | 48 | 207 | 1 | 73 | .312 |
| Away | 226 | 607 | 30 | 157 | 4 | 72 | .259 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1924-09-28 | STL | CIN | L | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1924-09-27 | STL | CIN | L | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 1924-09-23 | STL | PHI | W | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1924-09-20 | STL | BSN | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1924-09-18 | STL | BRO | L | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1924-09-16 | STL | BRO | W | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1924-09-14 | STL | NY1 | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1924-09-13 | STL | NY1 | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1924-09-09 | STL | PIT | W | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1924-09-07 | STL | CHC | W | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
Season-by-Season Fielding
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Catcher | 408 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Verne Clemons (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Verne Clemons: the record in brief
Verne Clemons's major league career runs from a debut on April 22, 1916 to a final game on September 28, 1924. The team column moves through the St. Louis Browns (1916) and the St. Louis Cardinals (1919 through 1924). Clemons played primarily as a catcher and both batted and threw right-handed. The bio adds a birth date on September 8, 1891, in Clemons, IA, USA and a listed size of 5 feet, 9 inches and 190 pounds. Clemons's death is recorded on May 5, 1959, in Bay Pines, FL, USA. The bio lists the given name Verne James.
Across 474 games at the plate, Clemons's career line reads 364 hits in 1,271 at bats for a .286 average, adding 5 homers and 140 runs batted in. On-base and slugging figures of .348 and .360 give Clemons a career OPS of .708. Clemons hit .286 while the league hit .276 over the same span, a figure close to average. 1921 produced Clemons's most hits, 109 of them for the St. Louis Cardinals.
Frequently Asked Questions about Verne Clemons
- What years did Verne Clemons play?
- Verne Clemons played in Major League Baseball from 1916 to 1924.
- Was Verne Clemons a pitcher?
- No. Verne Clemons was a position player (Catcher).
- How many home runs did Verne Clemons hit?
- Verne Clemons hit 5 career home runs with 364 hits.
- What teams did Verne Clemons play for?
- Verne Clemons played for 2 teams: the St. Louis Browns (1916) and the St. Louis Cardinals (1919–1924).
- What were Verne Clemons's career stats?
- In 474 games, Verne Clemons had 364 hits, 5 home runs, 140 RBI, 78 runs, and 6 stolen bases, with a .286 batting average.
- What position did Verne Clemons play?
- Verne Clemons played primarily as a catcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Verne Clemons and how much did he weigh?
- Verne Clemons was listed at 5 feet 9 inches and 190 pounds.
- How many home runs did Verne Clemons hit each season?
- Verne Clemons's home runs by season: 0 in 1916, 2 in 1919, 1 in 1920, 2 in 1921, 0 in 1922, 0 in 1923, and 0 in 1924. His most in one season was 2, in 1919 and 1921.
- What was Verne Clemons's career batting average?
- Verne Clemons batted .286 over his career, with 364 hits in 1,271 at bats.
- How many RBI did Verne Clemons have?
- Verne Clemons drove in 140 runs in his career.
- Is Verne Clemons in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Verne Clemons has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.